President Franco Pavoncello Receives Prestigious Award from Italian Children’s Rights Organizations

On July 25, 2024, JCU President Franco Pavoncello received a prestigious award from the nonprofit children’s rights organizations Telefono Azzurro and Fondazione Child, for John Cabot University’s support through a recently established partnership. Other award recipients included Antonio Tajani, Italy’s Foreign Minister, Cardinal Peter Turkson, Ambassador Riccardo Sessa, President of the Italian Society for International Organization, and Silvia Costa, a former member of the European Parliament.

Telefono Azzurro, established in 1987 on the initiative of Ernesto Caffo, former professor of child neuropsychiatry, manages a national helpline in Italy for children and youth who are victims of abuse. The nonprofit organization promotes the well-being of every child and his or her right to grow up in a safe environment and within a network of relationships that can prevent abuse and distress. 

Fondazione Child is dedicated to research on the medical, psychological, and social causes and effects of child and adolescent abuse. The foundation’s main objective is to promote a child-centered culture through a close examination of the causes and treatments of physical and mental diseases, as well as behavioral and mood difficulties in children and adolescents.

President Pavoncello’s acceptance remarks began with a reference to Canadian doctor Gabor Matè’s work, which focuses on the importance of the first years of a child’s development: “It’s like planting a tree: the seed is not enough and relies on many other factors such as water, minerals, and light. The same happens with human beings. It’s vital that children be nurtured, cared for, and loved in the first years of their lives if they are to develop to their fullest.”

President Pavoncello also said, “I am honored to receive this prize and am proud of the multi-faceted partnership between our two institutions. I am sure that Johnn Cabot’s students and community will provide important support to the work being carried out in favor of children. We will also host a course on international children’s rights, a first among Italian universities, in our Department of Political Science and International Affairs.”